The present invention relates to a water soluble cellulose acetate composition for application as films, coatings and fibers. More particularly the present invention relates to a composition comprising a lower molecular weight water soluble cellulose acetate component and a higher molecular weight water soluble cellulose acetate component.
Water soluble cellulose acetate films and fibers and processes for producing them are known in the art. U.S. Pat. No. 2,129,052 to Fordyce, U.S. Pat. No. 2,448,082 to Creamer, U.S. Pat. No. 3,482,011 to Bohrer and U.K. Pat. No. 696,903 to Davoud all disclose that water soluble and water susceptible cellulose acetate film and fibers can be produced by utilizing various esterification and/or hydrolysis techniques on cellulose acetate which is normally insoluble in water. Additionally, Russian Pat. No. 1740744 discloses using water soluble cellulose acetate as a tablet binder for use by the pharmaceutical industry.
These water soluble cellulose acetate films and fibers, however, often have limited utility because they are difficult to process or have low tensile properties or both.